Heat dissipation remains a common problem in the design and operation of electronic products. In the past, designers would provide the product with a large form factor (i.e., a large enclosure) with plenty of vents to allow sufficient convection to dissipate heat. In addition to, or in place of a large well-vented enclosure, designers will often include one or more fans to mechanically force air through the enclosure to achieve heat dissipation. Both of these approaches remain in common use today.
Designers of electronic products are now seeking to reduce the form factor which greatly increases the difficulty in dissipating heat. Moreover, concerns about product esthetics and component cost militate against the use of fans, so designers must rely on passive approaches which become increasingly more difficult as the product size shrinks.
Thus, a need exists for a passive approach to dissipating heat from an electronic device.